Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Two classical combination techniques (renraku-waza) involving o-soto gari, the major outer reap, were demonstrated. The first combination technique was o-soto gari into sasae tsurikomi ashi, the lifting pulling ankle block. A good written primer can be found on this blog, and two videos demonstrated the combination are included below.

The second combination is o-soto gari into harai goshi, the sweeping hip throw.

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Continuing from last class, okuri ashi barai was again demonstrated but in a circular displacement rather than the classical lateral displacement, which is less likely to occur in a randori (free sparring) or shiai (competition) context.

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Okuri ashi barai, often also spelled okuri ashi harai, was demonstrated to kick off the next series of techniques, specifically ashi-waza (leg techniques). The name of the technique literally translates to the sending-off leg/foot sweep, thus one can think of this foot sweep as a technique that sends both of uke‘s legs out to the side. Ultimately, one will need to be able to compare and contrast the mechanics of okuri ashi barai to de ashi barai (forward foot sweep) and harai tsurikomi ashi (lifting-pulling foot sweep), the other two foot sweeps in the Kodokan curriculum.

The lateral moving version of okuri ashi barai was specifically taught, and is the moving variation used in nage no kata. Useful points to keep in mind are timing, incorporating a lifting motion with the far hand as well as a pushing motion with the nearside (sweeping-side) grip, pushing the hips into the sweep and emphasizing sweep latitude.

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Ashi guruma (leg wheel) and o guruma (big wheel) throws were demonstrated. Both ashi guruma and o guruma are leg techniques (ashi-waza), which are often confused with hip techniques (koshi-waza) and other superficially similar throws. Some points covered in class were:

Like most guruma techniques, ashi guruma and o guruma function by providing a mostly fixed pivot point around which uke rotates. Consequently, there should be no or little back sweep of the leg like in harai goshi (sweeping hip throw).

Tori‘s entry must offset him/herself to uke‘s side rather than remain in front of uke. That is, in order for uke to make contact with the leg pivot point, tori‘s body must not be in the way.

Twisting of the upper body finishes the throw, rather than something like sweeping back with the leg. While this may seem weak, this is not the case as Nick Ring demonstrates in the below gif. Note how the above points apply to his masterful application of o guruma, with only one grip and in a no-gi situation no less.

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Following last class, tai otoshi (body drop throw) was again demonstrated but with an angled projection of uke rather than straight forwards. Consequently, the kuzushi (unbalancing) with the lapel grip has a more characteristic hooking or arcing motion to pull uke off at an angle, rather than a forward pulling motion of the lapel grip thumb to the ear like with last class’s tai otoshi. Both variations of tai otoshi are covered in the video below:

As a complement, yoko guruma (side wheeling throw) was demonstrated as a counter to tai otoshi.

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Tai otoshi (body drop) was demonstrated in class. Tai otoshi exemplifies the hand techniques (te-waza), as most of the power for the throw comes from the arms. The main points emphasised in class were:

Weight distribution

Nicholas Gill, Canadian Olympic medallist, demonstrates the difference between good and bad weight distribution between legs, in terms of spacing between tori and uke and concomitant ability to apply pushing power with the arms. Good weight distribution should be approximately 50-50 on each leg.

Posture

The posture for tai otoshi is fairly straight upwards. A bent posture tends to throw weight distribution off and/or disrupt arm position and action, which sometimes leads people to try wraparound sacrifice throws (makikomi) to salvage their entry.

Positioning

It is difficult to apply tai otoshi right in front of uke, in part because the power arm (lapel grip or tsuri te) will be behind one’s ear and thus be out of position to apply a pushing force. It is better to be slightly off-centre to uke‘s left (if applying the throw as a right-hander).

Unbalancing (kuzushi)

Kuzushi, while important for all throws, is especially important for tai otoshi because unlike many other throws, force generation for tai otoshi mostly comes from the arms (as opposed to the legs and core). Arms by themselves are weak. Thus, one must maximise all the unbalancing possible by correctly drawing uke off-balance with the sleeve grip (hiki te) and the lapel grip (tsuri te) in tandem.

Ne-waza (ground technique)

A fundamental movement in grappling, whether it be wrestling or Brazilian jiu jitsu or judo, is the sit-out. The sit-out can improve an inferior position like the turtle, and even give one a dominant position over uke. While not comprehensive, here are some things one can do with a sit-out:

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Continuing on the theme of counters, ushiro goshi or the rear hip throw was demonstrated. This is a hip throw used to counter forward throws such as hane goshi (springing hip throw). The main tips to keep in mind are to:

Keep one’s hips below uke. Like some other hip throws, force is applied through the hip and pelvic region to bump uke into the air in ushiro goshi. This also means that tori should bend his/her knees.

Grab around or below the waist. Like choking up on a baseball bat, one does not get the same power if one grabs around high around uke‘s torso.

Keep your back relatively erect. Like almost all judo throws, power comes from the legs and is transmitted through the body; bending over at the waist makes such power transmission inefficient. Like weightlifters, whose sport is entirely about lifting heavy things, bending at the knees is a better option for changing levels than bending at the waist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_2mR7mGG10

Ne-waza (ground technique)

Two variations of sankaku jime (triangle choke) from the turtle position was demonstrated. There are innumerable ways of strangling someone with one’s legs, but some points to consider are angle and placement of legs. The two videos below are not exactly what was demonstrated, but fairly close.

Please note that the techniques summarised below may not necessarily be identical or capture all that was taught in class.

Nage-waza (throwing technique):

Again continuing on the gaeshi techniques of the shinmeisho no waza (see also o-soto gaeshi, o-uchi gaeshi), ko-uchi gaeshi (small inner reversal) was demonstrated, specifically this variation:

Like many other gaeshi or reversal techniques, ko-uchi gaeshi manipulates and takes advantage of uke‘s committed momentum in executing ko-uchi gari (which can be a powerful technique in its own right!).

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